Youth Takes a Fling

McCrea plays Joe Meadows, whose only ambition as a Kansas farm boy was a life at sea. He moves to New York to try to get a job as a sailor, finds it more difficult than he thought, and meets Helen Brown, who falls for him and uses her feminine wiles to try to prevent him leaving.

Directed by Archie Mayo, Youth Takes a Fling leans on a strong ensemble — Joel McCrea, Andrea Leeds, Frank Jenks — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about romance titles of 1938.